9 posts categorized "Gilmore Girls"

May 10, 2007

I’m fully aware that I was among the voices calling for an end to “Gilmore Girls.” Yet I can’t believe the final episode is actually here.

After negotiations to give the show an additional season broke down, fans recently learned that, as of Tuesday’s episode (appropriately titled “Bon Voyage”), that’s that. No more Gilmores, no more Stars Hollow.

Truth be told, after seven seasons of many ups and downs, I’m sad that the show has come to an end (as necessary as that ending is). There will be (sniff) things I’ll miss about the show, and here, in honor of the show’s seven seasons, are seven of them:

Richard and Emily Gilmore: No matter how rocky, how implausible or how irritating “Gilmore Girls” could be — and longtime fans know the show frequently ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous — Lorelai’s parents, Richard (Edward Herrmann) and Emily (Kelly Bishop), never failed to salvage a story line, prop up a plot or, in their own blue-blooded way, get to the emotional heart of a situation. Richard could have been a bow-tie wearing stuffed shirt, and Emily could have been just another WASP witch, but thanks to these actors’ lively yet precise work, the senior Gilmores were often the best thing about the show. (More on Kelly Bishop here.)

Paris Geller: Another character who could have been supremely annoying, but in the hands of a skilled actor, emphatically was not. Liza Weil helped you see the struggle and insecurity at the heart of Paris’ often bewildering intensity, and she was wickedly funny to boot. You can certainly see why Rory stuck by the driven, socially clueless Paris all these years.

Those pop-culture references (more on them here): Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) had a poster of Noam Chomsky on the wall of her college apartment. Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) named her dog Paul Anka. Much of one episode was devoted to a loving re-creation of scenes from the indie rock documentary “Dig!” Guest stars included Sebastian Bach of Skid Row, Carole King and Sonic Youth. Tuesday’s finale features a guest appearance from Rory’s idol, journalist Christiane Amanpour. Oh, and then there was the dialogue, which was so jam-packed with references to movies, TV shows, current events, past events and goofball pop-culture oddities that the WB included a booklet called “Gilmore-isms” in the show’s DVD boxed sets. There’s no way to even attempt to give a flavor of the best “Gilmore” dialogue in this space: Try the Web site wikiquote.org/wiki/Gilmore_Girls for a taste of the magic.

Kirk’s endless array of jobs: If there was a job that needed doing in Stars Hollow — or even if there was a job that didn’t need doing in Stars Hollow — chances are the town oddball Kirk was doing it. Thank you, Sean Gunn, for seven seasons of delightfully deadpan comic work.

Rory’s friend Lane Kim: “Gilmore Girls’” passion for (and good use of) music was exemplified by Rory’s best friend Lane (Keiko Agena), who disobeyed her strict mother’s rules to acquire the coolest record collection in Stars Hollow — and Lane even became a drummer for a rock band, Hep Alien. Lane was always an excellent (and much-needed) reality check for Rory, and I must also give a shoutout to Todd Lowe, who was spot-on as Lane’s slightly ditzy but loving guitar-playing husband, Zack. (Trivia note: To me, Adam Brody is not that guy from “The O.C.” — I’ll always remember him as Dave Rygalski, Lane’s guitar-playing first love).

Michel Gerard’s constant snobbery: Forget that whole idea that TV characters should grow and change over time. For seven seasons, the voice of bed and breakfast employee Michel (Yanic Truesdale) dripped with constant condescension and witty sarcasm. What could be more fun than French-accented hauteur? Don’t go changing, Michel.

Lauren Graham: Well, what’s left to say? Hordes of TV critics and commentators over the years have tried to get the Emmy dolts to notice the amazing actress who played Lorelai, to no avail. So I say, harrrmph, the Emmy bigwigs are dummies. Besides, anyone who saw her sing a drunken karaoke version of “I Will Always Love You” to Luke Danes (Scott Patterson) knows that this woman is the real thing. There wasn’t a dry eye in the bar, or in my house, during that scene. Wow.

So long, “Gilmore Girls.” Thanks for everything.

Photos: All images from "Bon Voyage," the May 15 series finale of "Gilmore Girls." Rory (Alexis Bledel) at Rory Gilmore Day in Stars Hollow; Christiane Amanpour visits Rory and Lorelai (Lauren Graham); the residents of Stars Hollow at Rory Gilmore Day; Lauren Graham as Lorelai.

April 08, 2007

‘Gilmore Girls” (7 p.m., WGN-Ch. 9) is a repeat Tuesday night, but there’s a new episode next week. Let’s hope it’s among the show’s last.

There’s talk that the CW wants to extend the long-running show for an eighth season. Rumor has it that Lauren Graham, who plays Lorelai Gilmore, may be amenable to the idea, but the same rumor mill says she won’t do it without her co-star, Alexis Bledel, who plays Rory and is allegedly not as keen on continuing.

As desperate as the CW network might be for content that does not involve booty-shaking Pussycat Dolls, an eighth season of “Gilmore Girls” would be a mistake. Speaking as a viewer who’s stuck by the show through thick and thin, I think the comedy-drama should end its run in May. It’s already gone on for one season too long.

Not that I would have ended things with the scene that closed the previous season. Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino drove the show straight into a ditch last May, when she ended the season with Lorelai in bed with Christopher (David Sutcliffe), Rory’s dad and the guy that Lorelai always ends up with when she runs out of other options.

It was a particularly mean-spirited move, considering that Sherman-Palladino already had announced that she was exiting the program. Fans had waited for years for Luke and Lorelai to get together, but breaking them up and putting Lorelai back with the callow Christopher — yet again — was going too far. We had already been there and done that, and I was thoroughly sick of those two as a couple.

I had to see where new executive producer David Rosenthal, who took over from Sherman-Palladino this season, would do with the mess that the show’s creator left behind. Suffice to say my worst fears were more than realized.

That’s not to say there haven’t been a few stellar lines or the occasionally satisfying scene (especially anything featuring Kelly Bishop and Edward Herrmann as Emily and Richard Gilmore, Lorelai’s parents), but other than that, the season has been a train wreck.

The lowest point had to be when Lorelai, who was nearly bullied into marrying Christopher, abjectly begged him to forgive her for still being friends with Luke.

Seeing her in the Jan. 30 episode, “To Whom It May Concern,” practically chasing Christopher around the kitchen, pleading that she didn’t love Luke and that she loved Christopher — well, it was pathetic. No, appalling. Lorelai Gilmore, groveling for the love of an immature, controlling twerp? Give me a break.

Not that “Gilmore Girls” hasn’t hit creative low points in the past (much of Season Six wasn’t exactly a high point either, it must be noted). But this year has been in another category of badness altogether.

There wasn’t just the Christopher debacle: Rory repeatedly put up with caddish, rude behavior from her wealthy boyfriend, Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry). Sure, she stood up to him eventually, and he did have his decent moments, but none of his frequent jerkiness was pleasant to watch.

Between Lorelai and Rory, we’ve been treated all season to the sight of two women putting up with petulant, selfish, unacceptable behavior from the rich, spoiled men in their lives. Wow, what a great turn of events for a show that was originally supposed to be about two spunky, independent women making their way in the world with love and support from each other and their extended network of quirky friends.

This season of “Gilmore Girls” has just trashed that legacy. The sad fact is, I no longer care if Luke and Lorelai get back together. I just want this whole thing to be over.

The last couple of episodes before the show went on a break weren’t as painful as what had gone before. They were actually almost good, and featured some welcome moments of tenderness between Lorelai and her own mother, Emily.

While I can still summon a few molecules of affection for a show I’ve devotedly watched and often enjoyed for seven seasons, I want “Gilmore Girls” to ride off into the sunset. I’ll thank the fast-talking, pop-culture obsessed Gilmore women for the good times, but the truth is, this show long ago passed its sell-by date. It’s time to move out of Stars Hollow.

July 18, 2006

In contrast to the cuddly “Veronica Mars” session, the “Gilmore Girls” session had a feel of a cage match.

In one corner: New “Gilmore Girls” showrunner David Rosenthal, who was meeting the press for the first time

In the other: Members of the press who have written about and raved about and ranted about “Gilmore Girls” for a six seasons, many of whom were unhappy with where the sixth season ended up, and wondered how this new guy would be able to take over a show with such a specific tone and such specific voices.

It was a tough crowd. At least Rosenthal was flanked by the show’s two stars, Alexis Bledel, who didn’t talk much, and Lauren Graham, who talked a lot.

She specifically said that if the press reported her as saying negative things about Amy Sherman-Palladino or Daniel Palladino, the show’s former head honchos, she would be upset. But, having said that, she said she already had the first script of the new year, which appeared to be unusual by this point in the production process.

She also indicated that the process was more collaborative than it had been under the Palladinos. She added that though where she understood where Lorelai ended up and how she got there, she’d been unhappy with the way her character was written last season, and had expressed her concerns.

“It wasn’t my favorite stuff to play, to kind of be dictated to by Luke, but again it was a believable conflict and a believable obstacles between them. That’s why the ending [of the season] made perfect sense because she tried to kind of be in a place that wasn't natural to her, that wasn't who she is. And so ultimately she couldn't take it anymore,” she said.

“But I think you had to have that build-up to get to where we got. I mean, if everything had gone the way the fans wanted it to go in terms of that relationship, the show would be over, or I would just be calling Rory, like, ‘What are you doing tonight?’ … to me this is a relationship with a lot of built-in problems between two people who are very different, who are trying to find a common language, and so it made sense to me.”

Regarding whether she’d leave the show when her contract is up at the end of Season 7, Graham said she hasn’t made up her mind.

“I have felt that way but I haven’t been in this particular collaboration before and I think we’re all really excited to see where the show can go. I read the first script and I love it,” she said.

“I am a huge fan of Amy and Dan. I loved that writing. I had some of the best, most interesting, fun, great scenes ever. But I also think there is room for it to grow and, you know, there's all these people now where we had a more specific, smaller group working on it,” Graham said. “Now we have these [new writers] who I sat down with the other day who are so enthusiastic, who come in as fans, who come in as people who have kind of fresh voices to lend to it, and I think it's going to grow.”

Bledel said she’s also undecided about returning. “I really don't know what this year is going to be like,” she said. “I think it's going to be really different, and I'm just going to see what it's like and then decide how I feel.”

As far as capturing the tone of the show, Rosenthal said that he’s hired new writers and there are now a total of eight writers on staff, all of whom come to the show as fans of the Gilmores.

Rosenthal said he’s not treating this as the end of “Gilmore Girls,” but that if it emerged that this year was the show’s last, he’d try to find out from Amy Sherman-Palladino what she’d envisioned for the show’s last scene. She’s long said she has the last scene of the show mapped out in her mind, down to the show’s last two spoken words.

The session did turn extraordinarily frosty when one writer asked Rosenthal about some personal troubles he had that involved a fascination with Heidi Klum. He turned red in the face, and it felt like the temperature in the room instantly dropped 30 degrees.

“My personal life is not an issue here,” Rosenthal said. “It's not worth getting into. I'm just here to talk about the show.”

“How does it make you professionally the right person for this show?” the questioner persisted.

“It has nothing to do with anything. Next,” Graham snapped.

Later, Graham made a surprising admission. She doesn’t much like working with the dog who plays Paul Anka. But he will be back in the new season.

Nothing against that particular dog, she said, but “I just am not a fan of dog comedy,” she said.

After the session, Rosenthal spoke with several reporters. Part of the transcript for that session is here, the other part is on the jump of this item.

May 08, 2006

It’s also a bit of a ladies night: “Gilmore Girls” and “Veronica Mars” have their season finales, and Kathy Griffin’s Bravo special, “Strong Black Woman” (8 p.m., Bravo), is the visual and audio equivalent of a night spent with a big bowl of ice cream, some sarcastic girlfriends and a stack of trashy tabloids.

Griffin, of course, is far funnier than any Us magazine caption writer, and in this special, as always, she makes herself as big a target as the egomaniac celebrities she skewers. Subjects of her skewer-age include red-carpet menace Star Jones, Tom Cruise’s ongoing meltdown (as she notes, his increasingly odd antics are “like Christmas” for her) the pretensions of Cirque du Soleil and her run-in with the Canadian chanteuse Dion.

If “Strong Black Woman” doesn’t quite reach the heights of her previous specials, especially the 2004 classic “Allegedly,” and if a story involving her dogs goes on a tad too long, it’s really no matter. For those who love Griffin and her self-deprecating, ego-shredding antics, the special is a diverting bonbon.

The season finale of “Gilmore Girls” (7 p.m., WGN-Ch. 9), as longtime fans know, is the occasion for deep mourning. Though the show always has been erratic (last week’s episode was an exercise in irritation), there have always been plenty of reasons to tune in: To hear the distinctive patter of Lorelai Gilmore and to see the complicated relationships she has with various family members, lovers and friends play out.

Well, the distinctive voice and vision behind the show will be gone next season. “Gilmore’s” creative team, Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino, have left the show. They should have stayed for at least one more season, whatever the cost to their pride or egos. In one more year, Rory Gilmore is set to graduate from college, Lorelai and Luke would have no doubt resolved their tempestuous romance, and the duo could have ended their association with Stars Hollow with clean consciences.

But now the future of the show -- one of the least imitable on television -- is reportedly in the hands of a newbie staff writer. “I’ve been patient long enough,” Lorelai declares to Luke in the “Gilmore” season finale, and no doubt by this time next year, or earlier, fans of the show will be saying the same thing.

Things do end on a sad (and in Lorelai’s case, frustratingly repetitive) note for both Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter, but there are compensations: Alexis Bledel, as Rory, displays some fine chops in a scene in which Rory confronts the arrogant father of her boyfriend. And there are a host of troubadours (including Mary Lynn Rajskub from “24”) in town competing to be the official songsmith of Stars Hollow.

Among the many singers: Yo La Tengo, Joe Pernice and Sam Phillips, whose haunting songs match the gut-punched feeling of “Gilmore” fans left in the lurch.

On to the head-spinning stuff: The “Veronica Mars” (8 p.m., UPN-Ch. 50) season finale is a real twister. And there are twists within the twists, as the show finally resolves the season-long mystery that has occupied the young sleuth of the title and her father.

The episode came with a list as long as your arm of things that reviewers should not mention. So, here’s one thing that can be said: Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring, as the star-crossed friends and sometime lovers at the heart of the show, are the two finest young actors working in television, or any other performing medium, for that matter.

Dohring in particular has masterfully navigated a tricky part all year; his character, Logan Echolls, could easily be a bitter, one-note quipmeister. But in this episode, and especially in the recent episode “Look Who’s Stalking,” he showed an enormous range of emotions, from romantic yearning to confused regret, often without saying much of anything at all.

It’s acutely painful to sound like a network suit, but it might be nice if next year’s ongoing mystery did not require a Ph.D. in Veronica-ology. Even the most faithful watcher of the show had to have been confused at least a few times in the course of this season’s bus-crash mystery.

And though plot complexity is a TV rarity to be applauded and it’s no doubt fun to dissect the many nuances of the Neptune goings-on online, there were a few times when the knotty ongoing stories threatened to get in the way of the true joys of the show, which are its complicated characters and its simply stellar cast.

Harry Hamlin, by the way, gets another juicy turn in the season finale; his parody of an over-the-hill hambone actor is dead-on and quite enjoyable. As Mac, Tina Majorino supplies steady support, as always. Even Steve Guttenberg is surprisingly good as the increasingly sleazy mayor of Neptune.

And it would be impossible to imagine “Mars” being anywhere near as great as it is without the wonderfully understated Enrico Colantoni as the young detective’s grounded, fiercely protective dad.

Let’s hear it for another season of “Veronica Mars,” with the same skilled crew in front of and behind the cameras.

April 21, 2006

The news that "Gilmore Girls" executive producers Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino will be leaving the show at the end of the season is very bad news for "G.G." fans.

It's worse news for those who had hoped for great, or at least good, things from executives at the new CW network. They’ve already demonstrated questionable management instincts by letting this happen.

One has to wonder, Why bring “Gilmore Girls” over to the new network, which most TV observers expect to happen, without its crucial creative team at the helm? Whatever benefit the CW would have gotten from renewing this much-loved show will be destroyed by the fact that the distinctive vision of its creators will be gone.

The thing is, “Gilmore Girls” is not “CSI: Stars Hollow.” It’s not a procedural, nor is it like any other drama on TV. It doesn’t have predictable characters who speak predictable lines; it’s not a straightforward show with familiar moving parts and story lines.

More than just about any other show on TV, “Gilmore Girls” is the product of the unique creative voice of Sherman-Palladino. Sure, every fan can tell stories about the “Gilmore Girls” episode (or episodes) that made us want to tear our hair out, but when it’s on a roll, “Gilmore Girls” is great, and that greatness usually sprung from the pen of Sherman-Palladino and her husband.

So you can’t just pluck some guy from the writing staff, as the CW executives clearly plan to do, and end up with the same show. It’s just not going to work. I’d love to be wrong about this, but with “Gilmore Girls,” I know I’m not.

Believe it or not, I actually can see the CW’s side of this whole debacle. According to TVGuide.com’s Michael Ausiello, who’s been all over this story like white on rice, the Palladinos wanted a two-year deal in order to continue with “G.G.” CW executives balked, understandably, since stars Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham only have one year left on their contracts.

But smart TV executives would have made the next season happen, somehow, with the Palladino team at the helm. But then, if these executives were such geniuses, they would have known that the show without Amy Sherman-Palladino at the helm would not be the same show, and not worth continuing.

Sigh. It makes me wonder if next season on the CW, we’re going to see a lot of shows in the vein of “South Beach” and “Pepper Dennis.” I was hoping we’d get the best of both the WB and UPN with the new CW network, but maybe we’ll just get more of the same -- a few good shows and a lot of dumb decisions.

The truth is, I’d rather see the show end than see it linger on without the Palladinos. And though the Palladinos, in a recent Tribune interview, professed to be resigned to the fact that the show might continue on without them, I don't quite believe that.

Despite its rough patches, which I’ve complained about like any other longtime fan, “Gilmore Girls” is, week to week, a swell show with an unmistakable, unique voice.

It’s not fair to keep it going on a respirator. We all deserve better than that.

No, that’s not a compilation of every answer on a recent episode of “Jeopardy!” Those are just some of the pop-culture references in a recent episode of “Gilmore Girls,” specifically the Jan. 31 outing, “Friday Night’s Alright for Fighting” (even the title of the episode refers to Elton John’s similarly named hit).

Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator and executive producer of “Gilmore Girls,” and her husband, Daniel Palladino, who’s also an executive producer on the show, swear that they don’t set out to refer to tons of books, movies, cultural figures and song titles on their 6-year old show. It just sort of happens.

“We’d be fine if an entire script went by and there were no references in it,” Sherman-Palladino said in a recent phone call. “It’s never like, `We need a reference here.’”

“It’s a lot of our interests and personalities and opinions that we filter through a lot of these characters, especially Lorelai and Rory [Gilmore],” adds Dan Palladino. “It does reflect who they are; they do consume pop culture. They watch a lot of movies, and they watch TV, and they listen to music. We’ve always tried to make sure that [the references] come out organically, so it doesn’t sound like Dan or Amy voicing an opinion, and I think that generally, we’ve been successful.”

January 26, 2006

Fans of quality WB fare had two questions Tuesday, when it was announced that the WB and UPN will fold next September and form a new network called The CW: Whither "Everwood"? What about "Gilmore Girls"?

Would the new network, which is supposed to cherry-pick the best shows from both networks, pick up both of these much-loved shows?

In the case of "Gilmore Girls," not to worry (well, worry a little. More on that in a bit).

"Definitely the show is coming back" next year, creator Amy Sherman-Palladino said Wednesday. "The show is doing well, we have an awesome cast and there’s some compatibility with other shows they’ll probably have, like [UPN’s] `Veronica Mars.’ … It could be kind of exciting."

The hitch: Sherman-Palladino and her husband, "Gilmore Girls" executive producer Daniel Palladino, aren’t sure they’ll be back at the helm of the show next year.

"We don’t have a contract for next year. … And we haven’t had a break in six years. We’re tired," Palladino said. If they don’t reach an agreement to continue working on the show in its seventh year, the WB has the option of continuing "Gilmore Girls" without them, the couple noted.

One other bit of fallout from the merger: A new show the couple was developing for the WB is no longer going to happen. "Everyone was really gung-ho, then not so much," Sherman-Palladino said. "The WB was acting in a way that felt very weird to us. Now we believe that the reason things were so weird is because behind the scenes," merger talks were taking place.

As for "Everwood," the future is less certain.

"At this point, we haven’t been given any indication one way or another about the fate of our show," "Everwood" executive producer Rina Mimoun said Wednesday via e-mail. But she and show creator Greg Berlanti hope that new CW chief Dawn Ostroff (the former head of UPN) will "fall in love with our little mountain town," Mimoun said.

"We still have many more stories to tell, not to mention a giant wedding ahead," she added. "We will continue to do our best to maintain the quality that has kept `Everwood’ one of TV’s best kept secrets. And maybe on this new network, we won’t be a secret anymore!"

A bit more from Amy Sherman-Palladino on Tuesday's episode of "Gilmore Girls" is below.

February 08, 2005

There are many things to like about the 100th episode of "Gilmore Girls" (7 p.m. Tuesday, WGN-Ch. 9), but chief among its many virtues is that it's not a lame, "remember that one time when that funny thing happened?" compilation of highlight clips.

Tuesday's celebratory episode is a meaty one, with both college student Rory and her mother, Lorelai, encountering relationship troubles. And there are amusing subplots involving Rory's friend Lane, who undergoes a surprising makeover; Lorelai's friend, new mother Sookie, who's desperate for some alone time; and Kirk, the multitasking town goofball, who decides he works at Lorelai and Sookie's country inn, though they haven't actually hired him.

That so many different plots involving so many characters are so enjoyable is a testament to the rich world that "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino has created over five seasons. The show's quirky yet believable small-town denizens, not to mention its rapid-fire, pop-culture-studded dialogue, have made this show a reliable standout on the TV landscape, despite its occasional missteps.

The 100th episode also offers a chance to reflect on how much Alexis Bledel, who plays Rory, has grown as an actress; her jitters over admitting her affection for a fellow Yale classmate are subtle and believable. It's a big change from the first couple of years of the show, when the appealing Bledel was much more tentative, especially in emotional scenes.

Though Lauren Graham is always a treat and has used her considerable talent to give depth to Lorelai, queen of the non-stop sarcastic patter, the episode really belongs to Kelly Bishop and Edward Herrmann, who play Lorelai's parents, Emily and Richard Gilmore.

Since the elder Gilmores split up last season, these two outstanding actors have given us subtle, heartbreaking portrayals of blue-blooded WASPs unable to bridge the emotional gap that's grown between them. Though the episode is an unqualified success, it does almost prompt me to grumble over the fact that Bishop and Herrmann may never get the Emmy recognition they so richly deserve for their "Gilmore" roles.

On Tuesday's episode, "Gilmore Girls" fans will be happy to know, Emily and Richard reconcile in a big way -- they renew their wedding vows. And the look on Richard's face as his bride walks down the aisle -- again -- is perhaps the most moving moment this show has ever created.

September 19, 2004

When the Emmy Awards are broadcast Sunday, don't expect the creators or stars of WB's "Gilmore Girls" or "Everwood" to pick up any statues.

Each program did receive one Emmy nod -- "Everwood" got a nomination for guest star (James Earl Jones), and "Gilmore Girls" won a single previously announced award for makeup.

But in the eyes of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which has lavished the sometimes contrived family drama "Six Feet Under" with multiple nominations in the past, "Everwood" and "Gilmore Girls" might as well air in the middle of the night on the Outdoor Channel. (In fact, "Everwood," which began its third season Sept. 13, airs at 8 p.m. Mondays; "Gilmore Girls" begins its fifth season in its regular slot at 7 p.m. Tuesday.)

That's a shame, because, despite the occasional misstep, both shows feature sharp, creative portrayals of difficult family dynamics. Those inside and outside the Emmy academy who dismiss the shows as teen-angst fluff are missing out on some fine television -- finer, at times, than HBO's distinctly uneven but much written-about "Six Feet Under."

Chicago native Tom Amandes, who plays the fussy Dr. Harold Abbott on "Everwood," runs into misconceptions about his show all the time. Amandes was out biking the other day in Utah (where the show is filmed) with Scott Wolf, who just joined the show as a new doctor in the small town where Abbott and Treat Williams' character, Dr. Andy Brown, practice medicine. Out on the bike trail, the two men ran into a couple of the "Party of Five" heartthrob's fans.

Far from it. Judging by the pretty young people that populate both shows, one could be forgiven for thinking that "Everwood" and "Gilmore Girls" are nothing more than run-of-the-mill teen soaps.

And there's plenty of youth angst on both of these WB shows, which draw similar ratings (according to Nielsen Media Research, last season "Everwood" drew on average about 3.4 million viewers, while "Girls" drew roughly 3.2 million, down a bit from the previous two seasons).

But the level of the writing and the skill of the young actors -- particularly Gregory Smith and Emily VanCamp as tortured lovers Ephram Brown and Amy Abbott on "Everwood" -- help both shows rise above most of the cliches of the teen-soap genre.

So do the treatment of difficult family situations. In particular, Amandes and VanCamp's season-long portrayal last year of a formerly close father and daughter struggling with the daughter's clinical depression was extraordinarily acute.

"What I've learned is that that's just a hallmark of the quality of the writing on this show," says Amandes, the father of three. "They will take the time to let something like that develop and they're not afraid to just go right at it. It was really hard for me, [VanCamp] is sort of a surrogate daughter for me and [my wife] and those scenes are hard to play."

What makes the "Everwood" story lines rare are their refusal to endorse one point of view, then tidy things up and move on. At times last season, Amy seemed like a spoiled brat -- and at times, her father, Harold, seemed to be purposely ignoring her desperation and pain. Neither was completely in the right, a reality with which many families can identify.

Similarly, when the show had a controversial abortion story line a couple of seasons ago, the show managed to treat all points of view fairly, without making the resulting episode a mishmash of inoffensive political correctness.

Still, Amandes, who was raised in a Catholic family of 11 kids in rural McHenry County and later in Crystal Lake, was hesitant to tell his mom about that episode.

"My mother said, `Tommy, do you have to do this?'" Amandes recalls. Ultimately, he notes, "she was very impressed with how it was handled."

Which is why Amandes was amazed that an advocacy group named the Parents Television Council recently ranked "Everwood" as the group's No. 1 "worst network TV show for family viewing." The PTC stated that "Everwood's" "messages about sex without consequences are expressly targeted to impressionable teens."

"I find it puzzling," says Amandes of the PTC controversy. Referring to a teen-pregnancy plot involving high school senior Ephram this season, Amandes says, "Boy, there couldn't be much more in the way of consequences."

Training at DePaul

Regardless of how one feels about the sex lives of the teens on "Everwood" or "Gilmore Girls," both shows are a feast of richly textured performances, especially by the non-teen actors. Amandes credits his training at DePaul's theater school and his stint as a member of Chicago's Body Politic theater company in the '80s for preparing him to play Abbott, whose overbearing personality could stray into unlikableness if not for the actor's subtly shaded performance.

"I started at DePaul in 1978, and I ushered a lot in those days," he says. "I got to see [John] Malkovich and [Gary] Sinise and that whole crew doing their shows, and it was an amazing thing."

"The first time I ever tested for anything in L.A., I was introduced as a theater actor from Chicago, and that was a real good calling card to have," he recalls.

Like Amandes, Kelly Bishop is a theater veteran who plays an almost -- but not quite -- unlikable character with uncommon depth. Her "Gilmore Girls" character, family matriarch Emily Gilmore, mother of glib single mother Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and grandmother of college student Rory (Alexis Bledel), could easily come off a condescending WASP witch, but Bishop infuses Emily with a humanity that rescues the character from stereotype.

"I'm not knocking television actors, because there's always a lot for me to learn about camera acting, but theater has been my training, it's been my home for many years," she adds. "So many people in Hollywood, the pretty young ones particularly, come to be stars and very often become stars, and they don't have the hard knocks [of theater training]. . . . You build up a foundation based on experience, and some of the bad plays that I did -- I've often said it was the bad jobs I learned the most from."

As for her prickly character, Bishop is glad the writers allow Emily to be "not a very pleasant woman" at times.

"So often actors, when they get a less than likable character, tend to try to sneak in a bit of an apology," says Bishop, who won a Tony for her role as Sheila in the original Broadway production of "A Chorus Line." "There's a subtext going on: `I, the actress, am not bad like this.' You sabotage the character in doing that, because you don't come out with the strength of the nastiness."

Clash of opinions

Certainly the very proper Emily has stuck to her guns in her frequent clashes with freewheeling, pop-culture obsessed Lorelai. But when the media does notice the show, most of the attention is focused on Lorelai's close (at times almost too close) connection with her daughter Rory.

Fans of the show, however, know that many of the real sparks fly in the scenes in which Lorelai attempts -- in her own sardonic, self-defeating way -- to gain her upright mother's approval.

"I don't think that will ever really be resolved," Bishop says of the testy Lorelai-Emily relationship. Which is fine with Bishop -- she says playing a difficult character is more of a test of her dramatic skills anyway.

"I've played a lot of less-than-nice ladies," she notes. "They're of course the most fun."

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